renewed oct



`.l. H. HILL.

TIR.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. l2', 1915- RENEWED OCT. 3, 1919- Patented May 18,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnrcn JOSEPH H. HILL, or wrniviruerou, nnnawnnn. j

TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1s, 19,20,

Original application filed September 8, 1911, Serial No. 648,390.Divided and. this application filed January 12, 1915, Serial No. 1,722.Renewed October 3, k1919. Serial No. 328,333.

To all lw'wm t may concern:

vBe it known that I, JOSEPH H. I-IILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State ofDelaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tires, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and eXact specification.

This invention relates to tires, the object being to provide a tire ofgreat strength and ability to resist puncture, at a low cost ofmanufacture. The tire consists of a hollow continuous body of yieldingor elastic material, such as rubber, having an inflating tube or nozzleand covered with multiple layers of rubber and fabric braiding, thewhole being vulcanized under pressure suiiicient to force the rubberbetween the interstices of the braided fabric to form a homogeneouscontinuous structure of great strength. Tires have been made heretoforeby forming multiple layers Vof rubber and winding between strips ofcanvas or cotton duck and subsequently vulcanizing; such a productdiffers radically from mine in that I provide forV a seamless uncut meshbraided in consecutive layers about theV several layers of the tire,which secures perfect uniformity of texture of the ultimate product. Myinvention will be better understood in connec tion with the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure l illustrates a tube of unvulcanized rubberfrom which the core -or lining is made; F ig. 2 a hollow ring formed ofsuch tube in which, at a suitable point, the

teat or nozzle is drawn to form the means for inflating the tire whennally completed; Fig- 3 illustrates the mode of building up the tirewith alternate-layers of rubber and braiding; and Fig. 4 lshows asection of a completed tire; Fig. 5 showsV a reinforce; Fig. 6 shows ashoe madeaccording -to this invention.

My invention is carried out by forming in desired lengths, by squirting,butt or lap welding, or any other approved process, a

length of air tight tubing from rubber compound prepared forvulcanization of appropriate size to constitute the hollow core, asshown in Fig. 1. I cut off a proper length and coil it into circularform, inserting one end within the other, the joined parts beingcemented together as indicated in Fig. 2.

Before cementing the joint, I introduce a suitable quantity of ammoniaor other gas ple to receive a valve for inflating the tire. i

After joining and cementing the'ends, the hollow core 3 forms anannularring, as shown in Fig. 2. It is then placed in a mold andsufficient heat applied to effect partial vulcanization whilepartiallyexpanded.v vI

then braid consecutive layers on the annular core, of textile material,such as cotton,

separated by layers of rubber as indicated at 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Fig. 3.This may be applied in any desired manner butis preferably carried outin a braiding machine by which a tubular layer of braid is appliedaround the partially inflated core, and simultaneously a thin strip, ofrubber is wound about the braiding. As many layers as desired of rubberand braid may be applied, each braided covering forming a seamlessfabric inclosing the rubber in a strong openwork mesh, each strandcompletely surroundingthe tube and making a stronger, more uniform fabric than canvas strips or any similar construction. While the layers ofbraiding are separate one from the other because of the interposedlayers of rubber, the braiding is itself continuous, as is also theinterposed rubber. This caneasily be effected in a braiding machinespecially constructed tok open to-permit removal of the finished tirebeforefinal vulcanization. The partially inflated annular inner 4tubehaving vbeen inserted in the machine, as the braiding is applied, thetube is revolved.4 The rubber is .applied on the braiding, and thus asmany layers of continuous rubber and braiding will be applied, as thetubeis given revolutions. After four or five alternate layers of therubber and braid have been continuously built up on the tube, I mayapplyv onegor more protecting braidings of fine wire, 9,V

beading, or other form of base to seat on the rimare placed in properpositionon the inner periphery and then the final tubularv coverings ofbraid are applied. A nal layer of rubber is then applied and it iscovered with a thick sheet of rubber which will constitute the treadwhen in service. The tire is then placed in a suitably shaped moldhaving a cross section such as in Fig. 4, and vulcanized under full heatand heavy pressure supplied through the valve. The pressure and heatwhen first applied cause the rubber to flow and impregnate the meshes ofthe braiding and to fill the sinuosities of the mold giving the base,11, the proper outline tov fit a wheel rim and giving the tread, 12, agradually increasing thickness toward the line of contact with the road.

If desired, there may be embedded in the mass of rubber which reinforcestheV tread ofthe tire prior' to vulcanization perforated rings or stripsof leather, 13, Fig. 5, through the holes of which rubber will be forcedby pressure, the leather strip constituting an additional safeguardagainst puncture, and skidding. 0r such strips may be placed in the moldin the final step, in which case a tough armor of leather will beyanchored in the tread flush with its surface.

This invention is not conned to the manufacture of what is known asasingle tube tire, since a casing or shoe for a double tube tire can bemade in an equivalentmanner, it simply being necessaryr to change themolds to crescent form, so as to impart to the braided tubingy andrubber a crescent instead of annular cross section when completed. Fig.6 shows this form wherein the inflatable tube 1, is joined at the endsas before, then covered with a layer of braiding, as 4, then the tensionwires 14 and beading strip 11 provided, between the braidings 4 and 6,then additional braidings as 8, 9, with interposed soft rubber asbefore, until the requisite thickness is built up. The core is thendeflated and the tire shoe molded by compression and heat to vulcanizethe whole together. The inner mold will of course be outwardly convex soas to bend the segment which is to be the interior half of the tirewithin the outer portion around the wires 14 and the beading strip 11.Even if the beading strip 11 and wires 14 benot used, the same methodcan be carried out and/a shoe formed wherein the `braidings will nothave to be cut to remove the mold core, it being seen that inthe case ofa single tube tire the gas pressure compresses the tire in the meld, andin the case of a crescent-shaped shoe the usual .interior mold finserted between the edges is used.

Also, of course, the tread, as well as the rim flanges will besymmetrically placed relatively to the center. In like or well knownmanner, thetension wires for the sides can be braided in, and the insideand outside suitably finished for use. Such a tire, by reason of itsbraided structure,

wherein the threads of each layer run spirally in opposite directions,will, when expanded by. air pressure,have a strong tendency to contractin diameter and tightly grip the rim. Also, the braiding will itselftend to become more dense as the internal pressure increases, thustending to resist puncture more effectivelyv than heretoforeY rality ofconvolutions of a continuous un-v cut rubber tube and alternating with aseries of layers of fabric formed by a plurality of convolutions ofV acontinuous tube of un cut fabric, saidtubes of rubber and fabric beingfolded soI as to have an .inner slot for the insertion of the inner tubeand vulcanized in folded position so as to form an integral open belliedtire body.

2. An open bellied tire body adapted to contain an inner tube andcomprising a series of inner and outer layers of rubber formed by aplurality of convolutions of a continuous uncut rubber tube andalternating with a series of layers of fabric formed by a plurality ofconvolutions of a continuous tube of uncut fabric, said tubes of rubberand fabric being folded so as to have an innerslot for the insertion ofthe inner tube, and an intermediate layer of rubber A

